Man who lost wife in El Paso shooting & received world support, never reported damaged car as stolen
El Paso police said Monday that Antonio Basco, whose wife was laid to rest Saturday after being gunned down in the Aug. 3 Walmart attack, never reported to authorities that someone stole his deceased wife’s SUV hours later and trashed it.
A police spokesman told ABC-7 that no police report had been filed about the alleged Saturday night theft and vandalism case. As a result, police said they were not investigating the incident at this time.
The 61-year-old Basco could not immediately be reached for comment. But Angel Gomez of Operation Hope, which worked with local funeral homes to coordinate funerals for Basco’s wife Margie Reckard and other shooting victims, said he had talked with Basco.
He said Basco had been overwhelmed by attention in recent days and “needs time” by himself. Gomez said Basco told him he wasn’t looking for donations or a new car, he just wanted his wife’s car repaired.
Nonetheless, employees with the Casa Ford and Nissan dealerships told ABC-7 they planned to present Basco with a new vehicle late Monday afternoon.
On Sunday, a local towing company employee posted to social media that Basco’s car had been stolen Saturday night and severely damaged. A photo showing the damage was also released. Gomez confirmed the towing company’s account of what happened based on information he’d received from Basco.
Basco made worldwide headlines after issuing a public invitation to his wife’s funeral, saying he felt alone as the couple didn’t have any nearby relatives. Over 3,000 people turned out for her services and over a thousand flower arrangements were sent for the funeral. Those flower arrangements were later transported by a hearse caravan to the makeshift memorial for all 22 victims.
